¨--/†*¤¤¤# #¤¤¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨---/*¤ ¤*/---¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†¤¤ ¤¤†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### WINDS ESKER ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ---------------------------------------- ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨-//†¤ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¤†//-¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†****¤ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¤****†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ###¤*†/--¨
¨-----†*## FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ##*†-----¨
¨¨¨¨¨-//*¤ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¤*//-¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### KEPT ME AWAY. ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨--†*# HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST #*†--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-/†¤ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¤†/-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†††¤## THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ##¤†††/--¨
¨¨¨---†*## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##*†---¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### BLUEBERRIES. ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†***¤¤ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¤¤***†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†††¤## WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ##¤†††/--¨
¨--/†*¤### STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨---/††¤ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¤††/---¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨-/†*¤¤¤ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¤¤¤*†/-¨¨¨
¨¨--/††*## WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ##*††/--¨¨
¨¨¨¨--††¤# #¤††--¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨-//***# UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES #***//-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-/†*¤ AWAY. ¤*†/-¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*#### ####*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨-/†*¤# I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE #¤*†/-¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨-//***# FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T #***//-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†*¤ REMEMBER. ¤*†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨----†**¤# #¤**†----¨
¨--/*¤#### CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ####¤*/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†¤# THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME #¤†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--//*# OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN #*//--¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ###¤*†/--¨
¨----//†¤# THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED #¤†//----¨
¨¨¨¨¨--†*¤ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ¤*†--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--†¤# GROUND ITSELF. #¤†--¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨-/*## SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ##*/-¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-/*# THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE #*/-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†¤#### TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ####¤†/--¨
¨¨----/††¤ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¤††/----¨¨
¨¨¨¨-/***¤ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¤***/-¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### FORK. ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†***¤# #¤***†/--¨
¨¨¨¨-//†¤# AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. #¤†//-¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ###¤*†/--¨
--/†*¤#### MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ####¤*†/--
¨--/†*¤### OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†††¤## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##¤†††/--¨
¨----/†*¤# BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. #¤*†/----¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-/†¤ ¤†/-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ---------------------------------------- ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†¤#### ####¤†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨¨---†¤# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #¤†---¨¨¨¨
¨---/††**¤ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¤**††/---¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨
¨¨¨---/*## ##*/---¨¨¨
¨--/†*¤### ###¤*†/--¨